This invention relates to classroom instruction, concerning interactions between light and material targets, specifically to the teaching of absorption and reflection of light, comprising different spectral colors, including infrared light. The hand-held apparatus is adapted to experimentation by individual school students in grades 3-12 and beyond. It is identified in the trade as: ALTA.RTM. REFLECTANCE SPECTROMETER.
Reflectance spectroscopy and spectrometry comprise measurements of how light, i.e. electromagnetic radiation, of different spectral colors is reflected and absorbed by material objects. Modern reflectance spectroscopy, and its applications in environmental and planetary remote sensing, all rely particularly on invisible light, i.e. electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths that are not detectable by human eyes. Instruction in reflectance spectroscopy has thus become important as more and more environmental and planetary sciences come to rely on images and data which are based on light reflected from objects. The principles of reflectance spectroscopy are not intuitive to most students, and are greatly facilitated by the students' opportunity to acquire reflectance spectra themselves. Heretofore, the teaching of reflectance spectroscopy has been hampered by the absence of low-cost, quantitative, portable reflectance spectrometers that can access invisible light.
There is considerable prior art in the development and mechanisms and operation of reflection spectrometers, reflection spectrophotometers, calorimeters, and like devices for measuring the proportion of light of variable wavelength that is reflected or scattered from materials. None of these prior art media or apparatus address the need in the classroom for a low-cost, quantitative instrument that can obtain reflectance measurements in visible and invisible light. Accordingly, the invention comprises a manually portable, hand-held method and personalized apparatus for reflectance spectometry.
__________________________________________________________________________ INVENTOR DATE PAT. NO. DESCRIPTION __________________________________________________________________________ PRIOR ART (PRIMARY) Boostrom et al. 1971 3,554,648 Teaching Aid and Modular Instrumental Analysis System and Components Alyanak 1974 3,829,218 Method of Spectral Analysis Onodera et al. 1975 3,876,306 Method of State-Differentiating Analysis Missio 1977 4,049,353 Spectrometric System and Cassette Goetz 1985 4,560,275 Portable Reflectance Spectrometer Saitoh et al. 1987 4,636,081 Apparatus for Reading Color Image Hartman 1990 Reg. No. H780 Optical Data Processing Detection Wang 1995 5,475,221 Optical Spectrometer Using LEDs Alexay et al. 1996 5,519,219 Portable Filter Infrared Spectrometer PRIOR ART (SECONDARY) Isaacs et al. 1975 3,874,799 Color Spectrophotometry Lambe et al. 1979 4,164,374 Spectrophotometer Utilizing a Solid State Source of Radiant Energy Kaffka et al. 1986 4,566,797 Spectrophotometer for Operating Discrete Wavelengths Howarth et al. 1987 4,715,715 Measuring the Color of a Material Funt et al. 1991 4,992,963 Determining Ambient Light and Surface Reflectance Brunsting et al. 1993 5,189,495 Light Suppression for Photometers Schnable et al. Electronics Experimenter's Handbook, Summer 1995 - Low-Cost Colorimeter __________________________________________________________________________